Violent clashes erupted in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, on November 10 after demonstrations marking the country’s Heroes’ Day escalated into confrontations between protesters and police. Footage circulating online shows chaotic nighttime scenes, with thick smoke filling the streets as crowds gather near police vehicles and security forces move to disperse demonstrators. The protests initially remained peaceful, with students and other groups demanding higher minimum wages, stronger wildfire management and government action to address rising living costs under President Prabowo Subianto. However, tensions escalated later in the evening when a group of demonstrators reportedly threw stones, firecrackers and Molotov cocktails toward the regional parliament building. Police responded with tear gas, water cannons and tactical vehicles as unrest spread through several areas, including Malioboro and the vicinity of Gadjah Mada University. By Wednesday morning, authorities confirmed that 154 people had been detained in connection with the clashes, while police said they had seized Molotov cocktails and other items as evidence.

National Police Chief Suyudi Ario Seto visited the affected area and pledged an investigation into whether the violence had been deliberately organized and what objectives may have been behind the destruction. Police maintained that the arrests were carried out at several locations, including the area around the Gadjah Mada University traffic circle, while denying reports that officers entered the university campus. The crackdown has also drawn criticism from rights groups, with Amnesty International Indonesia calling for an independent investigation into alleged excessive force and arbitrary arrests. The Yogyakarta Legal Aid Institute reported receiving 64 complaints from demonstrators, including reports of detained individuals who remained unreachable and others who required hospital treatment. Rights advocates have also raised concerns about the reported involvement of military personnel and the handling of peaceful demonstrators before the nighttime violence. The incident has intensified scrutiny of the government's response to public protests, as questions remain over the circumstances surrounding the clashes, the treatment of those detained and whether security forces used proportionate measures.